1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to safety equipment. More specifically, the present invention relates to an improved fall protection system.
2. Background Art
In recent years, the use of safety harnesses in hunting has experienced a sharp rise, as the use of climbing-type tree-stands for hunting has gained in popularity. Estimates are that approximately 90% of deer hunters hunt from elevated stands at one time or another. One of the most popular types of elevated stands is the so-called climbing tree stand, which attaches by a cantilever mechanism to the trunk of a tree, and permits the user to ascend the tree, often to heights of as much as 35 feet, by alternately moving the upper and lower sections of the stand, in a “sit-and-stand” “ratchet-type” action. Such climbing tree stands depend on the cantilever design to impinge upon and grip the tree trunk, in order to remain in place at an elevated height. Such stands have proven to be prone to sudden and unexpected slippage or upset, which causes them to fall rapidly down the tree, or to abruptly shift positions, often causing the occupant of the stand to lose his or her balance and fall to the ground. At other times, hunters fall out of tree stands after falling asleep, or during the climbing operation, or when stepping from a fixed ladder onto the platform of a type of stand known as a “lock-on” treestand. Of those hunters who use elevated treestands, many will experience a fall from the stand at one time or other and unfortunately large numbers of those who do fall sustain serious, often catastrophic injuries, such as broken bones, ruptured spleens, internal bleeding, severed arteries, paralysis due to spinal injuries, or even death.
The use of a safety harness as a component of a fall-protection system, to arrest a person's fall from an elevated position, is well known in the art. Fall-arresting safety harnesses are commonly used, and are even mandated by law, in certain commercial and industrial applications, for workers working at elevated heights, such as ironworkers, arborists, window washers, sign installers, roofers, and many others. In the recreational sport of deer hunting, full-body safety harnesses, as well as chest-harnesses, and safety waist-belts, are likewise widely used as fall-arresting protective devices, in conjunction with elevated limiting stands.
However, traditional safety harnesses lack of any provision for permitting the wearer who experiences a fall to safely descend to the ground or other place of safety. Once suspended by a safety harness, only the most athletic and fit of hunters would typically have the capability to re-enter a tree stand, or to “hug the tree” and “shinny” down the tree trunk. This procedure would require the victim to cut the safety tether from which he is suspended, an incredibly dangerous and hazardous action, which can result in serious injury or death. Remaining suspended from a tree in a safety harness involves no better long-term survival prospects for the victim, due to the considerable danger and risk represented by the suspension trauma that is highly likely to occur very quickly after the fall. In the case of belt harnesses, it is not uncommon for asphyxiation to occur within less than one hour of becoming suspended. With chest harnesses, the survival time can be a bit longer. However, with full-body safety harnesses, which have been until recently thought of as safer than the belt or chest harnesses, the constriction of blood flow in the lower extremities which results from being suspended in such a harness can result in injury or even death within an amazingly short period of time, in some cases as little as 15 to 30 minutes. Furthermore, even if a hunter is fortunate enough to be discovered by rescuers within a short period after falling, and has not yet succumbed to the effects of suspension trauma, the danger to both fall victim and rescuers, and the extreme difficulty of getting the victim safely back to the ground presents a daunting challenge.
In summary, if a person falls in a remote location and finds himself suspended in a traditional full body safety harness which does not incorporate a system which provides self-recovery and/or controlled-descent capability, then although immediate injury or death from fall impact may be prevented, the fall victim still is exposed to a critical, life-threatening emergency situation. Accordingly, there is a need for a simple, reliable, lightweight, and economical emergency descent system for use in conjunction with a fall-arresting or other type of safety harness or safety belt. Further, there is a need for an improved safety harness system, for use not only by hunters, but also by rock climbers, recreational tree climbers, billboard installers, steel erectors, tower constructors and maintenance personnel, roofers, arborists, and others who work at elevated heights from the ground. Such a system should provide a controlled-descent system, to provide fall-arrest and self-recovery in the event of a fall, or in the event of the need for a person to escape under emergency circumstances from an elevated location in a building, such as from an upper floor of a multi-story home or office or commercial building.